Disclaimers: I do not own Invader Zim

Author's Notes: Kay guys the long-awaited update is here, I'll try to keep them coming, if all works according to plan, I'll be way ahead by this weekend.

Thanks for reading and please review.

(Location: Planet Zoran)

[Biome: The Scorch Desert]

She wishes she could say that she was happy to be leaving, but as Annabel reached the opening of the AIs' Keep, she found it hard to breathe. And the desert sand flying around her had nothing to do with it.

Now don't get her wrong she was excited to return home, just the thought of seeing her family again filled her with great joy, and great sorrow. Sure, she would love to see Dibson, and their children, and for them to meet her father, but she feared the danger that was coming with her.

And the danger that could already be waiting for them.

Their informant had told them that Earth was on the Tallest's radar. After the AI's detected Irken Probes and A ship heading towards Earth they had decided to ask the Informant if he had heard any chatter and he did. He also told them that their most trusted Invader had been rumored to be there, but he could not be sure. The Tallest were keeping quiet about it. Annabel couldn't say she blamed them; not doubt they had figured out that a mole existed somewhere in their empire. How else could the Galactic Alliance be getting their information?

For years now the rebels had been on top of every one of their plans, and yet the Tallest still could not find their inside man. Worse still they had no leads, no trace of evidence, in fact the only thing they did know for sure was that the traitor was not Irken.

Annabel laughed despite it all, these Irkens thought they were so smart, but in reality, the truth about the mole was so obvious. The laugh died in her throat as she realized they too had been stupid. The Irkens were here on Zoran which meant the Irken on Earth must already be in the Swollen Eyeballs ranks, it was after all the only way he would have known of this place.

Annabel approached the AIs Keep cautiously, not out of fear, of course, but respect. The AIs were a testy race of intelligent machinery, and as kind as they were, they could be dangerous too. Annabel did not blame them for being edgy. The AIs had known the Irken race for years and had informed her that it was not uncommon for a none Irken to spy on large resistance groups like themselves. They did this in hopes of winning the favor of their Irken masters thus giving themselves a better life.

A perfect example was that of Lard Nar's race, the Vorts had been spying on the masses for Irk for ages in hopes of sparing themselves. Annabel found such acts cowardly, but she forced herself not to judge and for good reason.

She had met only one other Irken before today, and even the circumstances involving said Irken was complicated; still her point remained. As backstabbing as the Vorts were, they were just looking out for their own. Had her father not been out here Annabel was sure that she would have done the same. They had families to protect, just as she did, and she wished them well.

Yes, as cruel as it was to stab others in the back Annabel truly hopped it would not backfire on the Vorts, for their sake, and for Lard Nar's as well. Even with his exile, the Vort scientist still cared about his people. He always asked the other refugees that came in how they were doing. He would also ask the informant how they were doing.

Annabel stopped as she reaches a large metal door. The AIs Keep was a large dome made out of scrap metal found all over the planet. It looked almost like a metal cave to Annabel because it leads underground. "Siri it is me!" She called making sure not to use contraction worlds like it's or isn't.

The AIs did not understand shortened words, and upon hearing them they did not register it as what it was. "Isn't" was not a word. It was a senseless sound for which had no meaning. Therefore, she made a point to remember to break up her words and pronounce them clearly.

The metal door opens to Siri, who looks more weathered then the day they first met. Annabel knows it has something to do with the sand here. The constant sandstorms here had died her black metal a clay like orange. She was caked in the stuff; however she and the other AIs did not waste water with bathing. After all, they were merely machines and could not get sick from not being clean.

Annabel, wish she had that in common with them, she always felt guilty when she bathed. All that water going to waste just to clean her skin, but it was necessary. It was very easy to get sick on Zoran, green cough and desert fever were no joke. In fact, both illnesses took at least 12 lives each per year. A lot had to do with the lack of water, with such little left they bathed less, drake less, leaving their bodies weak and prone to infection. Not that they could help it, the planet only got rain five times a year if that. This forced them to preserve what few lakes and rivers they could find. But perhaps Earth would be kinder to them, she knew the refugees deserved a break. However, she feared for their safety. She knew Dark Booty and the others would accept her and her father because they were human.

But what of the others? Would they be welcomed?

"You ran into some trouble?" Siri asked, breaking through her thoughts.

"Yes." Annabel answered. "Irk is here." She informed her, remembering that the AIs did not refer to Irkens as anything but Irk, they spoke of their creators as if they were a disease purging the land of life, and in a way, Annabel had to agree. Still, she couldn't help but feel for them. Thanks to one complicated Irken she knew not every Irken was evil. Yes, every race had two sides of the same coin. However, if there were other good Irkens out there; she had yet to meet one, and neither had anyone else. Not even the one Irken she knew previously could necessarily be defined as good, and she doubted he would help if they asked.

"We must move to Earth." Siri answered as her fellow AIs surrounded them. "It needs our protection now."

Annabel took in the AIs around her, there were six in all, including Siri. And Annabel had gave them all names, much to their delight. Or at least they seemed delighted, with them. However, Annabel could not really tell if they were. After all the AIs were just Orbs with four metal tentacle legs, no eyes, or mouth to smile with, even their voices sounded computer based.

"Perhaps we are not too late." Another AI spoke. "The weapon may still be salvageable."

"We have looked." Siri told him.

Annabel was sure they had no gender to speak of but Tuff as she had named him had a deeper voice then Siri 's and it sounded well tough, so that was his name.

"We will look again." Annabel told Siri. "I told you my people might have moved it."

"Then we will get it." Another female voice said, coming from the AI above her. Annabel had named this one Sue. Again, none of them have any distinguishing features, so Annabel tells them apart clearly by the sounds of their voice. They all sounded different, no two the same.

"But we cannot hurt anyone." Annabel reminded them.

"Humans must stay unharmed." Siri seemed to agree. "And oblivious, mass panic is ill advised."

"Small group of allies will do well in retrieving weapon." Sue argued.

"We have some friends who will be willing to help." Annabel assured her, though she was not sure herself. True she knew the Swollen Eyeball would help her, but in less they found her letter by now, then they would have no idea what was going on. "Listen I must warn you Irk is on Earth." She told them.

Silence…

She knew telling them this could put the Earth in danger. The AIs were not afraid to purge the planet, or any planet for that matter, but they did not wish to. Earth was the last free planet with renewable resources, they needed it unharmed. They had plans for it, once Irk was defeated Earth would become a major player in their trade routes feeding hundreds of starving planets, but only if it stayed free.

"It is only a scout." She assured them.

"Just one is enough." Klem the AI to Siri 's left stated.

"Especially if it is HE!" Melk said from behind Tuff, he was slightly smaller than the rest of them, and one of the only ones she could point out without him having to speak first.

Of course, HE meant ZIM! Annabel had heard of him. Who hadn't? The guy was the tormenter, and home destroyer of most of the refugees here. Zim was a name worthy of fear, but she would not give up. "Please we've come so far, we cannot give up now."

"Giving up is not an option." Siri stated, she was obviously the one in charge when it came to the AIs. Sure, they all got a say, but Siri always made the final decision. "Earth must be saved."

"Earth will be saved." The largest, and last of them corrected her.

Annabel had called this giant Titan, and the name suited him well, because the thing was huge almost as big as a small car. "I assure you we will be able to handle this." She told Titan. "But only if we work together."

Titan seemed to think it over, he was always slow to trust newcomers. He saw them as unpredictable new variables. Annabel bit her lip in anticipation, and for good reason. Siri may always get the last word, but Titan's sheer size always made her consider what he was saying. Which made sense, Titan could easily overpower Siri and take control of the group if he wanted, but for some reason he never did.

As big as he was, Titan was a gentle giant. One that Annabel had recognized as the one who took her father that night from the barn. And even though she was older now he was still a giant monster to her, but only in size, the AI was as sweet as they came, he was just hard to trust others.

Annabel couldn't blame him.

"We will work together with human friends." Titan said. "Fighting each other will only counteract our motives."

"So, it is settled?" Annabel asked.

"We leave at once." Siri stated leading Annabel and the AIs out of their Keep and into the awaiting desert.

Annabel and the other's followed her towards the colony which was only a few clicks away. Just close enough that she could see the refugees as they raced around packing. No doubt her father had already warned them of the impending danger.

"What say thee?" Lard Nar asked as he seemed to appear to Annabel's right out of nowhere.

Annabel didn't jump; however, she was used to Lard Nar walking as silent as the dead. "They will help, but they are not happy that an Irken is on Earth."

"You do not think they will purge it do you?" Lard Nar whispered.

Annabel shook her head. "No, they still seemed determined to save it." She assured him.

Lard Nar seemed to sigh in relief. "Good we'll need all the help we can get."

"I hope it is Zim." Annabel suddenly said. "Maybe seeing you will throw him off his game."

Lard Nar does not miss a beat. "Eavesdropping on your father and I again, were you?" he teased.

"It's not my fault he tells me nothing." Annabel stated simply. "Besides, it turned out to be a good thing I was there." She reminded him. "Speaking of how did it go?"

"I was unable to get through to the informant due to the storm." Lard Nar answered. "But I was successful in performing a memory lapse on the Irken you took down. He may not forget us for long though."

"It will be long enough." Klem assured him appearing to his left.

Lard Nar was not startled by his sudden arrival into the conversation. Klem was famous for butting into someone else's dialogue. "Yes, we will be long gone by then." He agreed, as they entered the colony.

The colony was not exactly a sight to behold, the homes were made of clay, sticks, and mud, after all the AIs needed the metal to protect their maniacal parts from the damaging sand. No one complained of course, after all without the AIs they would have never found the peace, they now have.

"They are not happy." Richard said as he joined them.

"Moving back into danger is hard for anyone." Lard Nar said. "Is Queen Luna ready for departure?"

Queen Luna was the leader of the Magladies, a race of blue skinned humanoids with long pointed tails and flowing white hair. They looked almost like blue humans with tails; they were even in the same height range. Queen Luna was their current heir; one Lard Nar and Annabel had rescued shortly after they settled on Zoran. Once she arrived Luna brought order to the Refugees, and as royalty she got no resistance from Lard Nar.

However, she did not kick Lard Nar out of the equation, after all, Queen Luna was only 16 years old, and was really only queen because her mother was currently unaccounted for, and her father was deceased. Sure, she had secondhand experience from watching her parents, but Lard Nar had firsthand experience when it came to dealing with Irk, so naturally she looked to him to help her lead.

As Queen Luna's right hand, and the original leader of the resistance; Lard Nar advised her on everything from water distribution, to settling small disputes. He would have loved to leave said job to someone of her own race, but sadly most of the Magladies were still enslaved. In fact, only one other was free, Luna's little sister Moon. Both girls had been rescued the same night their home fell to Irk. Moon however had only been five years old back then, making the reality far worse.

Of course, Annabel had wasted no time taking up the role as their sergeant mother. Sadly, the role was a bittersweet one. She was thrilled to be a motherly figure once more, but it made her miss her own children.

"Queen Luna and princess Moon are ready." Richard assured them. "I told them to wait for Annabel to board the ship."

"Will it take off in this weather?" Annabel dared to ask.

"The storm's eye is not far." Siri answered her. "Once it is over us, we will be able to depart, but only if we leave then. Otherwise, we will be stuck here for many days." Her words caused the refugees around her to move faster. Proving that no one wanted to be here with the Irken Scum longer than they had to be.

"I will go check on her highness." Annabel said. "We must not leave them unguarded with an Irken nearby."

"Very well." Lard Nar said. "I will go with you."

Annabel nodded and together the two headed over to the middle of the colony. Where Queen Luna's hut stood. "Queen Luna it's me." She said, knocking on the door.

"Do come in." Luna's voice answered, and the two entered to see Queen Luna, and her younger sister Moon siting at their clay made table.

Annabel greeted them with a smile, and Moon ran up and hugged her. "You're back." Moon exclaimed.

Annabel's heart ached when she noticed they had been waiting for her in fear. "It's okay the Irken was just a scout, and we've lead him off our trail."

Queen Luna nodded. "I knew they would find this place." She whispered. "No place stays safe for long."

"We must not lose hope." Lard Nar assured her. "They need you to be strong."

Queen Luna looked close to tears, and Annabel's heart reached out to her. No child should have to be caught up in a war, forced to make such adult decisions, but the refugees looked up to her as a leader because of her royal heritage. However, she was nothing but a scared little girl on the inside.

Annabel wrapped her arms around her, and Luna allowed herself a moment of weakness, the young girl wear nothing but a sack, her rich silk dress long forgotten. She had wanted to keep it, the dress had been her favorite, but such clothes would attract bandits, and thieves. It would also tip off the Tallest that she was Maglady Royalty, putting them all in greater danger. So, she wears a dress that Annabel had fashioned from an old empty sake she had found.

She also made Moon a similar dress. Annabel smiled as she remembered the day, she first met them. Luna had told her that both she and her sister had the same name; Moon, it was just spoken differently. This was because the Magladies saw their 8 moons as gods, therefor all royalty was given a name that translated to or had something to do with the moon.

For example, Luna's name came from the word lunar. Moon came from the moon itself, and their mother's name Eclipsa had been taken from the word eclipse. And so on and so forth.

Annabel had thought it was funny because both girls names even sounded almost alike in the Maglady tongue. Thankfully though the girls picked up on English fast enough, allowing Annabel to call them by the names she knew today.

"We leave when the eye of the storm is overhead." Lard Nar said as Luna pulled away from Annabel and straightened herself.

"Very good." The young queen said. "We are ready." She assured them.

"You are doing just fine." Annabel assured her.

"I don't feel like I am doing much good at all." Luna admitted. "They all think I'm just a child, too young to rule this alliance."

"Luna, they need you." Annabel assured her. "You have brought them hope, before you we had no structure, no order."

"She's right." Lard Nar assured her. "Before you we were just refugees, all from different places, you made us one people. Because of you we are not just refugees, but the Galactic Alliance. A symbol of freedom for all who dare to go searching for us."

"Really?" Luna asked.

"Really." Annabel assured her. "Now come on let's be strong for Moon's sake."

Luna looked down to Moon knowingly. Her younger sister had her white hair done in what Annabel called pigtails. Which she thought was a strange name for a hair do. Especially when Annabel informed her that pigs do not have two tails, but one. Still the hair does consist of two all the same.

Annabel had agreed that she too had to admit that this was weird, but that was what her people called them none the less.

She shook her head forcing herself to focus, Moon was looking at her hopefully. Her diamond color eyes full of hope; despite the news of a nearby Irken. "We will be fine." She assured her younger sister.

Moon's smile grew, and she hugged her sister tight.

"Queen Luna." Richard said stepping into the hut. "We are ready for you to board the ship." He told them. "The eye of the storm will be approaching soon."

Queen Luna pulled away from her sister, and took her hand into hers. "Very well. Come Moon, we need to find our seats."

Moon nodded feverishly, she was one of little words, and had been ever since the fateful day the Irken's had took their home. Tears threatened to spill from her face, but Luna did not allow them to fall. She had 568 refugees to look after, she had no time for tears. They needed her to be strong, so that they could be strong. Only when they were all strong together would they stand a chance against the enemy.

"What's the plan once we reach Earth?" Luna asked.

"We'll have enough air in the ship to last a couple of years in space if needed." Lard Nar answered.

"What are you saying?" Luna asked.

"Well, we plan to land on Earth's moon for a while." Richard answered, "Have the refugees stay there until Annie and I have cleared your arrival with our people. Then we will go from there."

Luna nodded, she supposed it was only fair to give them a chance to settle things first. After all, Annie had informed her that her home world was green when it came to worlds and races outside their own. They may need time to adjust to the news and decide if it was worth the risk to trust them. She can't say she blames them; these were difficult times.

They boarded the ship to see the other refugees had taken their places. The large ship was barely big enough for all of them, but despite the tight squeeze; it was manageable.

"That is everyone." A refugee by the bay door stated as they walked by.

"Thank you Jinx" Luna said. "Are all the supplies loaded as well?"

"Yes, your highness." Jinx answered. He was of a lizard like race with rainbow scales, and Annabel always found him to be great at keeping up a conversation. In fact, the two were often placed on lookout shifts together since they got along so well.

"Then you may close the bay door." Luna says.

Jinx obeys before taking his place by Annabel. Once everyone is seated, Lard Nar takes his place at the controls and readies the ship for takeoff.

"I can't believe we're going back." Annabel said to her father who sat behind her.

"Yes, and it's about time." Richard said. "I have almost forgotten what color blue the sky is." This is of course due to the fact that Zoran's sky was red.

"It's sky-blue dad." She told him. "Duh."

"And can you tell me what sky blue looks like?" He challenged with a smile.

"I sure hope the AIs are okay in the cargo hold." Annabel stated ignoring his taunt.

Richard smiled smugly. "I am sure they are fine." He assured her all the same.

Annabel nodded she sure hoped so, after all they needed them, and their weapon. It might be the only defense they have against Irk. Her heart ached at the thought, as bad as they are; she still hated the idea of killing them off.

"Did they bring the pieces?" Luna asked.

"Of course." Annabel answered. "Irk is here they can't afford to leave them."

Luna nodded as Moon spoke from beside her. "I hope this war will be over soon I miss home."

"I know sweetie." Annabel told her as the ship began to climb through the eye of the storm and into awaiting arms of space.

"We all do…"

-To Be Continued